However Do You Want Me?
by Anti-Sheep Era
Summary: A tale of forbidden love between two himes...mostly Shiznat, AU
1. Chapter 1

In hindsight, she should have known.

She should have realized.

After all, Mai was the kind of girl who prided herself in knowing people. How people act, what they want, even who they liked. For example, she knew Mikoto was related to Reito. She could sense their bond. She had even begun to realize that Akira, the seemingly cold and uncaring "boy" had become rather fond of her brother; to the point that while Mai's own most important person may have changed, it didn't mean Takumi was any safer.

But them. They. How could she not know?

In a world rife with war, the Himes were the light; they kept the peace by dealing with wave after wave of orphans. They fought, they destroyed; all for the people and the world they lived in. Each Hime had command of a small army; trained soldiers who were loyal to the cause, as well as their leader. Some Himes even worked together; Mai herself often fought alongside Mikoto, as the advantage of two Hime against a particularly nasty wave of orphans was very crucial. Another advantage of the Hime was her most important person; the love between the two manifested itself as a monstrous sized child, capable of massive destruction. But this was often seen as a curse as well. Therefore, certain rules were implemented. A Hime's most important person must be kept secret; the killing of a Hime's most important person was the death of her child, as well. If the enemy were ever to find out a Hime's most important person, the agony caused would be too much to bear. The other rule was that a Hime could not have her most important person be another Hime; losing one Hime's child was hard enough, but to lose two at once? It was foolish; their numbers would dwindle all too fast if that were allowed.

She should've seen it. She should've known.

She remembered the first time everyone was introduced to each other. She should have known, then.

Because she had seen it.

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It was foretold that the power of the 12 princesses would return. The families whose ancestors held the fabled power kept a close eye on their daughters and granddaughters and even their daughters and granddaughters. That time period was labeled the "Golden Age", as it seemed that the fabled Himes were able to bring about that peace, leaving their descendants ignorant of the harshness of war. Dark times were soon to be had, as the peace slowly wavered. It started with whispers of dark shadows and grew into sightings; it was during this time that the Himes finally manifested.

Somewhere a young girl with startling red eyes found her practice weapon had been replaced with a polished purple naginata; some distance away from her, a girl around the same age was startled to find a gun in each of her hands.

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It's been awhile. And I'm sure this is my first Mai-Hime fanfic...you know the deal. Let me know what you think, please?


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks so much for the reviews, I really appreciate your feedback. Sadly, I will not be making the guys wimpy as I am a rather big Reito fan (I mean, he's basically a male Shizuru...though I'd much prefer the female Shizuru myself ^^).

This chapter is mainly introductions and such (meaning: very little Shiznat interaction, sorry!) so please bear with me. There is very little description about places and clothes, because I do not think it very important at the moment. Plus, I'm sure everyone knows the characters so I did not describe them very much in detail either.

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Chapter 2

Natsuki had decided that she had never seen any building this big, especially a building known as a _house_. To keep herself from gawking, she tightened her grip on the hand that was currently in hers. Not to hard, of course, seeing as how that hand was so very delicate and precious to her.

"Lyssa-chan, what do you think of this place?" the older girl asked, tearing her gaze away from the impressive structure. Her little sister looked up at her and smiled.

"It's huge," the blonde-haired girl replied. She could tell her Onee-chan was trying her best to not seem outwardly impressed, so she decided to amuse her. It didn't matter that she was 8 and her Onee-chan was 14; they always seemed to understand each other, regardless. The younger girl noticed that other people had begun to approach the mansion and she tugged on Natsuki's hand to get them moving. Natsuki allowed her to lead them, muttering absentmindedly about people with too much money.

Everyone seemed to have gathered in the foyer where a double staircase starting on either side of the room led to the second floor, waiting for their host to arrive. There were mostly girls, a thought that Natsuki inwardly groaned at. Too many girls. And if she had raised this obvious fact to her sister, the little girl would've pointed out that, one, it was an obvious statement and, two, she shared the same sentiments. Girls were definitely made to exist in smaller groups.

So far, the group consisted of 6 girls; the smallest, besides Alyssa, was a girl with short black hair that had two braids on either side of her face. She was carrying what looked to be like an oversized carrying case for a pole of some sort. There was also another small girl who had short brown hair that stuck up in all kinds of places with glasses that looked to be upside down. She seemed to be trying to calm down another girl, who was much bigger than the last two girls. She had blonde hair (and, in Natsuki's opinion, a rather large forehead) and her arms were crossed, looking suspiciously around the inside of the mansion. The other girl was a bit taller than the unruly-haired girl (who was currently setting up her laptop in a corner) and her short brown hair was tied into a simple ponytail. With her was a boy with short grey hair. He was as tall as the loud blonde and he was holding hands with the single-ponytailed girl.

"Ah, welcome. I apologize for making you wait."

A tall woman with short pink hair that fell just to the bottom of her ears appeared at the top of the double staircase. She smiled warmly at each of the people standing below her. Behind her, three women followed her to the rail of the staircase.

"My name is Fumi Himeno," the pink-haired woman said to the group, "and I am very pleased that you all have arrived. I will wait to properly introduce everyone when the rest of our guests have arrived." She turned her gaze to the front doors just as they opened once more.

"Natsuki?"

Natsuki whipped her head around just in time to be smothered in a bear hug. She clung onto the person awkwardly and dared not breathe; her head was being cradled into a region she definitely did not want to be in and she was sure opening her mouth now would only prove to make the situation more awkward.

"Mmmpphh!" Natsuki managed to get out, pushing her attacker off of her. She glared at her giggling sister and a couple of other people sniggering around her (particularly a girl with red hair).

"I'm sorry, Natsuki, but I can't believe you're here! I haven't seen you in awhile." The well endowed girl smiled at the glaring girl.

"It's good to see you too, Mai. And Takumi," Natsuki added as she caught site of the brown haired boy. He nodded at her, smiling somewhat sheepishly.

"I apologize for my sister, but I'm sure you remember how she gets," he said. Mai stuck her tongue out at the both of them and ran her hand through her short, shockingly orange hair.

"Ah, who's this?" she asked, bending down to look at Alyssa (who was doing her best to hide behind her Onee-san's legs).

"This is Alyssa, she's my younger sister," the blue haired girl replied. She rolled her eyes when Mai squealed and called the blonde-haired girl cute. Alyssa blushed.

"So do you know anyone here?" asked Mai. Natsuki shook her head and both watched as a couple more people walked in. After Mai and Takumi, a girl with pink hair (darker than Fumi's) that was tied in double pigtails on each side of her head walked in, grasping the arm of a boy with blond hair and brown sideburns. He seemed reluctant to be there, although it could've been because the pink-haired girl was currently yelling about how perverted he was being. He caught Mai's eye and looked down a little further then blushed. He quickly looked away again as the pink-haired girl's tirade continued.

"He is a perv," Mai said, glaring at the boy. Behind them, Natsuki caught site of another boy with green hair. He was about as tall as Takumi and he stood away from everyone, not making eye contact. The red haired girl that sniggered loudly at Natsuki's public embarrassment sauntered over to a corner where she started filing her nails. She gave the group a look over, before deciding that she could care less about any of them. She did however smirk at Mai and Natsuki, as if enjoying her own private joke.

Finally, what appeared to be the final guests walked in. It was a couple; a tall boy with black hair and a girl with tan hair that fell just below the middle of her back. The boy was a head taller than the girl and their arms were linked together. They were perfection and for a moment, everyone was quiet as they watched the two, until someone yelled—

"BUBUZUKE?!"

It was the girl with the large forehead and blonde hair. She was pointing at the girl while her other hand trembled in a fist.

"Haruka-chan…" the smaller brown-haired girl whispered.

"What the hell is she doing here?!" the blonde yelled. The girl in question had her eyes closed, but kept a smile on her face. The boy beside her smiled in amusement. As they passed Mai and Natsuki, a couple things seem to happen at once: the tall blonde stamped her foot as she threw a spectacular tantrum; her brown-haired companion seemed to be pulling at her arm; the beautiful brown-haired girl opened her eyes and turned to look at Natsuki, each girl thinking to themselves that they had never seen eyes so beautiful before; Mai looked questioningly at the two, silently thinking that maybe Natsuki had lied to her and that her and the crimson-eyed girl had known each other before; and the boy leading the crimson eyed girl winked at Mai, effectively wiping her mind clean of anything she was thinking at the time. Everything happened in a matter of seconds and both Mai and Natsuki made sure they weren't blushing before they turned to each other.

"Liar!" Mai whispered at the emerald-eyed girl.

"What?" Natsuki asked, bewildered. She heard a small laugh accompanied by a luring Kyoto accent and vaguely wondered if the owner of that voice had crimson eyes. She didn't dare turn around, however, and continued to try and make sense of Mai's accusation.

"You told me you didn't know anyone here, but that girl seemed to know you!" Mai whispered back.

"I swear I've never seen her in my life! What about that boy who winked at you?" Natsuki threw back at her. She smiled smugly at the orange-haired girl, who resembled a fish out of water, her mouth opening and closing without a sound. Mai blushed and said nothing. Stubbornly, she clung to the thought that strangers did not look at each other that way, not knowing that further into the future this moment would come back to haunt her.

"Now that everyone is settled, I'd like to introduce myself and the three wonderful ladies beside me," Fumi said as she gazed at her audience. They had all moved into one of the living rooms that was very spacious and contained numerous sofas. Fumi was seated in front of the group with the only other adults beside her.

"My name, for those of you who just arrived, is Fumi Himeno. I own this mansion and it is because of me that you all are here at this moment. I have requested your presence for a number of reasons, but we will get to that soon enough." She paused and turned to the woman on her right who had her long red hair pulled back and two particularly spiky pieces fell down to her chest, framing her face. She had mischievous green eyes and they seemed to sparkle as she met the gaze of each person in the room.

"I'm Sugiura Midori. As one of the younger (at this point, the woman on the other side of Midori shook her head) adults, I will be watching over you children to make sure you're not doing any of _this_ or _that_," the red-haired girl threw a particular lecherous look at the boy/girl pairs. She was cut off before she could say anything else.

"Midori, please," said the woman who looked quite exasperated by her friend's antics. She had short purple hair and seemed to look apologetic at the group. "My name is Sagisawa Youko and I am a doctor. I will be attending all of your health needs, so please, do not hesitate to ask for my help." She nudged Midori in the ribs, as the red head took to leering at the grey-haired boy who was holding hands with the brown-haired girl. In turn, Midori began pouting and crying about how mean the other woman was being to her. On Fumi's left side, a woman with very short, light brown hair cleared her throat.

"My name is Sanada Yukariko and I, along with Midori-san, will be your teacher." Her eyes were blue-green and they were as soft as her voice. She looked maternally over the group, and then looked at Fumi.

"Now," Fumi started, "I would like for all of you to introduce yourselves, before we go any further. It is prudent that you all get to know us, but even more so to know each other. We will start with you," she said, pointing at the grey-haired boy. Both he and the girl he was holding hands with stood up.

"My name is Kurauchi Kazuya and I am very pleased to meet you all," he said, bowing first to Fumi and then the others. He had light blue eyes and exuded a kind demeanor.

"My name is Higurashi Akane," the girl said, also bowing. "Kazu-kun is my boyfriend," she added, blushing slightly. The both sat down as the small cat-like girl stood up.

"I'm Minagi Mikoto!" the girl said enthusiastically. She bowed to just about everyone in the room, smiling as she did so. She grabbed the long, black case she was holding and was about to talk again, before Fumi shook her head. Undeterred, the young girl nodded and sat back down. Her amber eyes glowed brightly and she seemed very excited to be there.

The four-pigtailed girl stood up next, practically yanking up the boy along with her. "My name is Munakata Shiho and this is my Onii-chan!" she said proudly. "Onii-chan" scowled, but didn't bother to dissuade her. He acted like a man defeated, to used to her behavior to be really bothered by it.

"My name is Tate Yuuichi," he said, bowing. "I've known Shiho since childhood, so she's just like a little sister to me." The girl, Shiho, looked slightly put out by his statement, but she still smiled as they sat down.

"Hi, my name is Tokiha Mai and this is my brother, Takumi," Mai said, purple eyes shining. Both bowed and sat back down. The aloof, green-haired boy stood up next.

"Okuzaki Akira," he said gruffly, bowing to Fumi. Surprisingly, he also turned in the direction of the crimson-eyed girl and bowed. She smiled and inclined her head. The boy sat down and returned to ignoring the group. Mai looked questioningly at Natsuki, but the other girl just shrugged and stood up.

"Kuga Natsuki," she said in her husky voice, "and this is my sister, Alyssa." The golden haired girl bowed her head, shyly. Both sat down, Alyssa sitting herself down in her Onee-san's lap.

The red-haired girl with light green eyes stood up, never taking her eyes off her nails which she was currently filing. "Yuuki Nao," she said in a bored tone.

"My name is Suzushiro Haruka," the tall blonde stated, standing up. She held her head high in the air, pointedly looking away from the crimson-eyed girl and the boy with her. She had strikingly violet eyes and for those who were observant enough to notice, her intense stare softened (if only a little) when she looked at her companion. The small, unruly-haired girl stood up.

"My name is Kikukawa Yukino," the green-eyed girl said in a soft voice. "Haruka-chan is my best friend," she said, looking admiringly at the other girl (who blushed a little, but crossed her arms as if nothing happened).

"Ara, it looks like it's our turn," the crimson-eyed girl said as she stood up. "My name is Fujino Shizuru and I'm very pleased to meet you all." Shizuru bowed gracefully to the crowd and as she did, Natsuki saw that Nao's eyes moved quickly to the elegant girl than back to her nails. This, with the introduction of Akira, made her suspicious. She turned to talk to Mai, but it seemed her violet-eyed friend had other preoccupations. Her attention was focused on Shizuru's friend and it was only when Natsuki hissed in her ear that Mai seemed to notice anything else. She frowned at the smirking emerald-eyed girl, muttering that she wasn't drooling.

"My name is Kanzaki Reito and I am here with Shizuru," he said simply, bowing to everyone. Both Natsuki and Mai watched him intently, searching for any indication in his facial features that may give a clue to their relationship. When Reito's golden eyes locked with Mai's, the girl blushed and looked away. _He is definitely a charmer_, she thought, silently giggling to herself. Natsuki thought the same thing, but she frowned at him, obviously thinking that "charming" was not a good thing. _And why would I care about them anyway_, she thought, looking at the perfect picture Shizuru and Reito made together. But when Shizuru looked at her, Natsuki saw things she couldn't explain; things that confused her, things that taunted her, and something that made her want to forget everything but her.

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There you have it :)


	3. Chapter 3

Hello, hello. I wanted to start off this chapter with a couple of notes. My main focus for this story is Shiznat, with interactions between them and those closest to them. So, there will be some Mai, Reito, Alyssa stuff and less of the other characters. Unless of course, I need them. For instance, I love Nao and I just might have to have her stir up some trouble ;D

All that aside, I don't own anything and thank you so much for the comments!!!! To answer a couple questions, yes, this is an AU story. I'm basically reworking the Hime myth; keeping and adding things. Yes, the characters are younger (right now). I think I had put that Natsuki was 14 and Alyssa 8, so everyone is around Natsuki's age. Let's see...Haruka, Reito, and Shizuru are of course 15ish; Mai, Natsuki, Akane, Kazuya and Tate are 14ish; Mikoto, Shiho, Nao, Akira and Takumi are around13 and 12. Anyone I didn't mention, just kind of get a general idea from what I have listed. I'm doing my best to get all the history/boring stuff out of the way, so bear with me please!

I don't mind answering questions, so hit me up :D (This chapter isn't as long as the previous and I apologize!)

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After the introductions, Fumi began to speak.

"I'm sure you all would like to know why you are here. There is a power granted to 12 girls, a power that runs only through the blood of 12 families. This power is ancient and though this power has been used for different purposes, it should be treated as a good power. Those who possess this power are known as Hime; I am, Midori-san is and so is Yukariko-san," she said, gesturing to the women's whose name she had spoken. "You, also, are as well," she said opening her hands to the group seated before her.

There was a mixed reaction from the group in front of her. While a handful of people looked rather undisturbed by the news presented to them, others looked aghast. And still, others, mainly Nao, looked completely and utterly bored with the whole thing. To everyone's surprise, Alyssa's hand went up.

"If this power belongs only to 12 families, does that mean I have that power too?" she asked, extraordinarily articulate as her eyes focused on Fumi's.

Fumi smiled and nodded. "Yes, Alyssa-chan, you possess this power as well. But, it is your sister who bears the burden of being a Hime, not you." She turned her attention back to the group in general.

"Most of you already know everything I have told you and maybe even what I'm about to tell you now. Recently, there have been strange occurrences; people have gone missing, towns are being attacked by mysterious beings and so forth. These attacks are carried out mostly by orphans, monsters that enjoy wreaking havoc. The attacks have been linked to a company called The First District. We suspect they may be behind the resurrection of the orphans.

"Our ancestors had taken up the mantle of being a Hime and fought against orphans long before your time and mine. We have been granted these powers once again, so that we may defeat these monsters and the cause of their arrival.

"Again, I have brought you all here to learn. You will be trained for combat and also work to develop skills unique to yourself, which brings me to another point. The power of a Hime manifests itself in two distinct ways; an element and a child. No two elements nor childs are alike in anyway. Some of you have already learned to summon your element. And an even lesser amount of you have seen your child.

"Your element is your weapon, although in certain cases, an element can be for non-combative purposes. While you are here, you will learn how to utilize your element to its full advantage.

"As for your child, your ability to summon him or her depends solely on your decision to put that which is most important on the line. This means—"

"What, you mean our lives?" Nao interrupted, sounding suspiciously uninterested. "Have we not already put our lives on the line by being here? If these orphans are indeed as dangerous as you say, why bring us together to live in one location? It seems like you've made us the perfect and easiest target for our enemy." Shiho looked uneasily at the girl, as if she had been thinking of the same thing. The boy, Reito, turned to whisper something in Shizuru's ear and the girl seemed to nod slightly in agreement. Alyssa, too, reached up to whisper in Natsuki's ear.

"Onee-chan, I don't think she's very nice." Natsuki wanted to agree with her, but she didn't want to judge the girl before she knew her (even if the red-haired did laugh rudely when she was being crushed into Mai's chest).

"No," she whispered back, "I think she's just scared. All of us are, or should be." Alyssa seemed to think about her statement and then nodded. Natsuki knew she understood. For a girl so young and little, Alyssa was extremely bright and aware of the world around her. When Fumi confirmed that Hime blood ran through Alyssa's veins as well, Natsuki wondered if that might have anything to do with it. She glanced at Shizuru and Reito, noting that the pair of them looked to be about as comfortable as they would be in their own houses. Not too surprising, she thought, and turned away quickly when she realized she was staring too much at them. Mai caught her eye and smirked; Natsuki huffed and turned her attention back to Fumi.

"Nao brings up a good point," the pink-haired woman started again, "I do not want any of you thinking this is not a safe place to be. Another reason I had you all brought here was so that you would be protected, more so than if you were to stay at your own homes. At this moment, Yukariko-san's child is protecting this location. Her child has the unique ability of creating illusions, so that anyone approaching who need not be here will not find this place. Also, I know of another Hime's child who will prove advantageous to hiding this place even better. Now back to the discussion of childs.

"Some of you may have wondered why you were asked to bring a guest. This is because what you put on the line is that which is most important to you, that is, your most important person. If you accept your child, you risk the loss of the person you love the most." There was a dull silence after Fumi's words sunk in. Not long after, Mai's hand went up. After being acknowledged by the pink haired woman, she spoke up.

"What exactly is the function of a Hime's child?" the orange-haired girl asked. Takumi was the only family she had left. She'd prefer not to willingly put him in harms way and she was sure most of the other girls would be thinking along the same lines.

"A Hime's child is more or less an extension of their power. They are summoned for battles and obey every command their Hime gives them. Their size increases with how much emotion a Hime has for her most important person, or rather, how aware they are of their emotions for that person. For now, that is enough. I know it is a lot to take in, but it's also late and I would like to start working with you all tomorrow. Please, think of what I have told you. We will show you to your rooms." Fumi and the other women stood up and though initially baffled, everyone began getting up from their seats to follow them.

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Private discussions could be heard everywhere, mostly between pairs. Mai watched amusedly as Takumi tried talking to the seemingly antisocial Akira, who seemed to be content with the gruff responses her brother was (only) getting. She nudged Natsuki, who was holding Alyssa's hand as they walked down a long corridor.

"What do you think?" she asked her friend. Natsuki shrugged.

"I don't think Alyssa would be too proud of me if I just left, but not only that, if we have this power, why not use it for the good of the world?" the blue haired girl said, winking at her sister when she turned to her, beaming. Mai nodded in understanding, but not necessarily in compliance.

"But what about their lives? I think we are risking a lot; their lives plus ours, if we ever do fight. What will happen to them, if we die?" she asked, sneaking a glance at her brother (who was still chatting with Akira rather animatedly, even though Akira looked totally uninterested).

Behind them, another conversation was being held.

"Yukino! You're going to stay and fight, right?" Haruka asked her friend. Yukino turned to her friend.

"Haruka-chan, I'm not a fighter."

"Yeah, but that woman said she would help with that. Besides, you need to learn how to defend yourself. And I think I should be there with you when you're fighting, which reminds me I need to…"

Yukino listened vaguely to her friend's rambling. Haruka had been very understanding of Yukino's "quirks" and she took to the Hime thing real quickly. But who was she to endanger her best friend's life? _But_, she thought, _maybe this is my chance to finally protect her for a change_…

"Ara, it seems Fumi-san wasted no time getting to the point. I had thought the lecture would have waited till tomorrow," Shizuru said as she walked alongside Reito.

"At least everyone knows their purpose for being here. I suspect she would have had too many questions to answer, had she left it for the next day," Reito replied. Shizuru nodded.

"I wonder how many of the girls actually knew they were Hime. Besides the obvious, of course," Reito said, nodding slightly towards Akira's back. Shizuru smiled.

"I'm sure they are aware of their power, to a certain extent. Fumi-san put into words the odd feeling they've been living with," Shizuru added. "I can't wait to see everyone's elements; I wonder how the sensei's will deal with all of the training." She glanced at the raven-haired girl and wondered absentmindedly if the other girl's child would be as proud and cold as she seemed. She shook her head slightly and turned her attention back to her companion.

"I'm sure Kiyohime would love some company," Reito asked. Shizuru giggled.

"Yeah, because seven heads on one beast just isn't enough." Shizuru replied from behind her hand.

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After Fumi showed them to their rooms, Natsuki and Alyssa found that all of their stuff had been brought up already. Puzzled, Natsuki stuck her head out of the room to catch Fumi.

"Who put our stuff here?" she asked.

"We have a wonderful maid who takes care of the house," she replied as she ushered Mai into the room next to Natsuki's.

"Just one maid?" Mai asked, confused. Moving luggage for more than a dozen people was no easy task.

"Yes," Fumi replied amusedly, "We have one maid. Good night, ladies." And she turned and left. Natsuki shrugged and walked towards Mai's room.

"Where's Takumi?" she asked. Mai pointed down the other end of the hall.

"That's where the guys are staying. So, what do you think of all this?" Mai asked as she leaned against the doorframe. Natsuki leaned on the other side, eyes focused on the floor.

"I'm not so sure," she replied slowly. "I knew I had a power. I accidentally made two guns appear one time, but I was told not to do that again."

"You've already seen your element?!" Mai gasped. Natsuki nodded. Mai was a little jealous that she didn't know her own element, but she brushed it off quickly when she remembered the consequences of her power.

"I'm going to st—" Natsuki started, but stopped after looking somewhere behind Mai. Mai cocked her head to the side and turned around. Next to Mai's room and across the hall, Reito was standing outside what appeared to be Shizuru's room, both talking to each other. The black-haired boy then proceeded to kiss Shizuru's hand and walked away. Natsuki narrowed her eyes at the action, confusing herself in the process. What was it about them that got to her? She crossed her arms and tried to return her attention to Mai, but the other girl was watching the scene as well. As Reito passed the two, he bowed his head slightly and winked. Mai blushed, but Natsuki turned to look at Shizuru. Shizuru gave her a small smile and winked at her as well.

When both Mai and Natsuki looked at each other, they seemed to silently agree on keeping their mouths shut about the other's red cheeks.

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Questions? Comments? Concerns? Please dial 1-800-MAI-HIME...haha, just kidding. Leave some reviews, por favor and...anyone know who the maid is? lol


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